Pepper Potts may take on a bigger role than expected in the next "Avengers" movie.
Disney / Marvel

Warning: There are potential spoilers ahead for the untitled "Avengers 4" movie.

"Avengers 4" isn't in theaters until next May, but we have our first look at Gwyneth Paltrow who is expected to reprise her role in the sequel and it looks like she's getting a superhero suit of her own.

A leaked photo from the upcoming sequel first shared on the Instagram account uncannycomicquest shows Paltrow's Pepper Potts suited up in an Iron Man-like suit against a green screen.

According to the account, the photo was received from a person close to the source who leaked it to them.

Some fans may have immediately noticed Pott's purple and silver suit strongly resembles one her character wears in the comics as the hero Rescue.

Who is Rescue?

Pepper Potts' Rescue suit originally looked like another Iron Man suit when it was first introduced. Marvel

What we're most likely seeing in the above photo is Potts' Rescue Armor suit.

In the comics, Tony Stark builds the suit in the hopes that Pepper will one day wear it. After Pepper is made CEO of Stark Industries, she finds a secret room containing the suit and decides to use it under the alias Rescue.

Here's how Rescue appeared on "Iron Man: Animated Adventures," which showed a younger Tony and Pepper. This is how younger kids would be familiar with the character. Disney/Marvel

Rescue first made her appearance in 2009's "Invincible Iron Man Vol 2" before getting her own comic the following year. The character also appeared on animated series "Iron Man: Armored Adventures" in a purple suit similar to the one Paltrow wears. Rescue has also popped up in several video games, including 2017's "Lego Marvel Super Heores."

Why we're convinced we'll see Rescue

This isn't the first time we've seen this suit teased. Last week, a toy product image started circulating teasing new suits for the "Avengers." Among the outfits was a figure next to Iron Man who looks a lot like Pepper suited up.

What does this mean for "Avengers 4"?

We've seen Pepper suit up before in Tony's Iron Man gear in "Iron Man 3." Disney

The last time we saw Potts on screen, she and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) were preparing for a wedding. Stark abruptly canceled dinner plans with his fiancée when he headed off into space to fight Thanos.

Stark mentioned the idea of having a child after a dream he had. When Stark was space-bound, it sounded like Potts had something important to tell him.

From what we know about "Avengers 4," we're prepared for one of three scenarios. The first is that we'll see Pepper Potts team up with Stark once he returns to Earth, hopefully with Nebula by his side. He was left on Thanos' home planet at the end of "Infinity War."

Potts wanted Stark to quit the Iron Man role. If that can't be the case, maybe they'll just be heroes together.

Could Tony Stark travel back to the past and inspire Pepper Potts to become a hero? Disney / Marvel

What if Tony goes back in time and affects his relationship with Pepper Potts and leads her to become an Iron Man-esque hero instead? Another theory is that Iron Man may die in "Avengers 4" and Pepper may take on the role as the hero Rescue to avenge Stark and help take Thanos down.

"It's so secretive, and it's all on green screen, and I'm not exactly sure. They don't let me say anything," Paltrow said when asked if she had any superpowers in "Infinity War" or "Avengers 4."

"Is there any chance at any point when you were working on the movie, did you thrust your hand toward someone wearing like a blue suit with ping pong balls glued on?" Colbert asked, trying to get Paltrow to reveal a little bit more about her role.

Josh Brolin sometimes had a giant cutout of Thanos' head above his own while acting in "Infinity War." Marvel

Seeing a photo of Paltrow suited up makes her response to Colbert make a lot more sense now.

We may learn more when the first teaser trailer for "Avengers 4" is released, which INSIDER expects to drop by the end of next month. Historically, Marvel has released the first trailers for "Captain America: Civil War" and "Avengers: Infinity War" during the last week of November.

"Avengers 4" will be released in theaters Friday, May 3, 2019.

A representative for Disney did not immediately respond to INSIDER's request for comment.